115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 600 

AN ACT 

To promote Internet access in developing countries and update foreign policy toward the Internet, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Digital Global Access 

3 Policy Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘Digital GAP Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

5 The purpose of this Act is to— 

6 (1) encourage the efforts of developing coun7 tries to improve mobile and fixed access to the Inter8 net in order to catalyze innovation, spur economic 

9 growth and job creation, improve health, education, 

10 and financial services, reduce poverty and gender in11 equality, mitigate disasters, promote democracy and 

12 good governance, and strengthen cybersecurity; 

13 (2) promote build once policies and approaches 

14 and the multi-stakeholder approach to Internet gov15 ernance; and 

16 (3) ensure the effective use of United States 

17 foreign assistance resources toward this end. 

18 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

19 Congress finds the following: 

20 (1) The number of Internet users worldwide 

21 has more than tripled from 1 billion to 3.2 billion 

22 since 2005, yet the growth rate of Internet access is 

23 slowing. An estimated 4.2 billion people, or 60 per24 cent of the world’s population, remain offline, an es25 timated 75 percent of the offline population lives in 

26 just 20 countries, and rural, female, elderly, illit-
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1 erate, and low-income populations are being left be2 hind. 

3 (2) Studies suggest that women across the de4 veloping world are disproportionately affected by a 

5 digital gap, and that bringing an additional 600 mil6 lion women online would contribute $13 billion to 

7 $18 billion to annual GDP across 144 developing 

8 countries. 

9 (3) Internet access in developing countries is 

10 most often hampered by a lack of infrastructure and 

11 a poor regulatory environment for investment. 

12 (4) Build once policies and approaches, which 

13 seek to coordinate public and private sector invest14 ments in roads and other critical infrastructure, can 

15 minimize the number and scale of excavation and 

16 construction activities when installing telecommuni17 cations infrastructure in rights-of-way, thereby re18 ducing installation costs for high-speed Internet net19 works and serving as a development best practice. 

20 SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

21 Congress declares that it is the policy of the United 

22 States to consult, partner, and coordinate with the govern23 ments of foreign countries, international organizations, re24 gional economic communities, businesses, civil society, and 
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1 other stakeholders in a concerted effort to close the digital 

2 gap by promoting— 

3 (1) first-time Internet access to mobile or 

4 broadband Internet for at least 1.5 billion people in 

5 developing countries by 2020 in both urban and 

6 rural areas; 

7 (2) Internet deployment and related coordina8 tion, capacity building, and build once policies and 

9 approaches in developing countries, including actions 

10 to encourage— 

11 (A) standardization of build once policies 

12 and approaches for the inclusion of broadband 

13 conduit in rights-of-way projects that are fund14 ed, co-funded, or partially financed by the 

15 United States or any international organization 

16 that includes the United States as a member, in 

17 consultation with telecommunications providers, 

18 unless a cost-benefit analysis determines that 

19 the cost of such approach outweighs the bene20 fits; 

21 (B) adoption and integration of build once 

22 policies and approaches into the development 

23 and investment strategies of national and local 

24 government agencies of developing countries 

25 and donor governments and organizations that 
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1 will enhance coordination with the private sec2 tor for road building, pipe laying, and other 

3 major infrastructure projects; and 

4 (C) provision of increased financial support 

5 by international organizations, including 

6 through grants, loans, and technical assistance, 

7 to expand information and communications ac8 cess and Internet connectivity; 

9 (3) policy changes that encourage first-time af10 fordable access to the Internet in developing coun11 tries, including actions to encourage— 

12 (A) integration of universal and gender-eq13 uitable Internet access goals, to be informed by 

14 the collection of related gender disaggregated 

15 data, and Internet tools into national develop16 ment plans and United States Government 

17 country-level development strategies; 

18 (B) reforms of competition laws and spec19 trum allocation processes that may impede the 

20 ability of companies to provide Internet serv21 ices; and 

22 (C) efforts to improve procurement proc23 esses to help attract and incentivize investment 

24 in Internet infrastructure; 
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1 (4) the removal of tax and regulatory barriers 

2 to Internet access; 

3 (5) the use of the Internet to increase economic 

4 growth and trade, including— 

5 (A) policies and strategies to remove re6 strictions to e-commerce, cross-border informa7 tion flows, and competitive marketplaces; and 

8 (B) entrepreneurship and distance learning 

9 enabled by access to technology; 

10 (6) use of the Internet to bolster democracy, 

11 government accountability, transparency, and human 

12 rights, including through the establishments of poli13 cies, initiatives, and investments that— 

14 (A) support the development of national 

15 Internet plans that are consistent with United 

16 States human rights goals, including freedom of 

17 expression, religion, assembly, and association; 

18 (B) expand online access to government in19 formation and services to enhance government 

20 accountability and service delivery, including for 

21 areas in which government may have limited 

22 presence; 

23 (C) advance the principles of responsible 

24 Internet governance, including commitments to 

25 maintain open and equitable access; and 
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1 (D) support programs, research, and tech2 nologies that safeguard human rights and fun3 damental freedoms online, and enable political 

4 organizing and activism, free speech, and reli5 gious expression that are in compliance with 

6 international human rights standards; 

7 (7) Internet access and inclusion into Internet 

8 policymaking for women, people with disabilities, mi9 norities, low-income and marginalized groups, and 

10 underserved populations; 

11 (8) cybersecurity and data protection, including 

12 international use of the National Institute of Stand13 ards and Technology (NIST) Framework for Im14 proving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, that 

15 are industry-led and globally recognized cybersecu16 rity standards and best practices; and 

17 (9) inter-agency coordination and cooperation 

18 across all executive branch agencies regarding the 

19 construction and promotion of Internet initiatives as 

20 a greater part of United States foreign policy. 

21 SEC. 5. LEVERAGING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT. 

22 In pursuing the policy described in section 4, the 

23 President should direct United States representatives to 

24 appropriate international bodies to use the influence of the 

25 United States, consistent with the broad development 
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1 goals of the United States, to advocate that each such 

2 body— 

3 (1) commit to increase efforts and coordination 

4 to promote affordable and gender-equitable Internet 

5 access, in partnership with stakeholders and con6 sistent with host countries’ absorptive capacity; 

7 (2) integrate affordable and gender-equitable 

8 Internet access data into existing economic and busi9 ness assessments, evaluations, and indexes such as 

10 the Millennium Challenge Corporation constraints 

11 analysis, the Doing Business Report, International 

12 Monetary Fund Article IV assessments and country 

13 reports, the Open Data Barometer, and the Afford14 ability Drivers Index; 

15 (3) standardize inclusion of broadband conduit 

16 as part of highway or comparable construction 

17 projects in developing countries, in consultation with 

18 telecommunications providers, unless such inclusion 

19 would create an undue burden, is not necessary 

20 based on the availability of existing broadband infra21 structure, or a cost-benefit analysis determines that 

22 the cost outweighs the benefits; 

23 (4) provide technical assistance to the regu24 latory authorities in developing countries to remove 

25 unnecessary barriers to investment in otherwise com-
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1 mercially viable projects and strengthen weak regu2 lations or develop new regulations to support market 

3 growth and development; 

4 (5) utilize clear, accountable, and metric-based 

5 targets, including targets with gender-disaggregated 

6 data, to measure the effectiveness of efforts to pro7 mote Internet access; and 

8 (6) promote and protect human rights online, 

9 such as the freedoms of expression, religion, assem10 bly, and association, through resolutions, public 

11 statements, projects, and initiatives, and advocate 

12 that other member states of such bodies are held ac13 countable when major violations are uncovered. 

14 SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF STATE ORGANIZATION. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that the Secretary of State should seek to enhance 

17 the efficiency and effectiveness of United States foreign 

18 assistance efforts to carry out the policies and objectives 

19 established by this Act, including by redesignating an ex20 isting Assistant Secretary position in the Department of 

21 State to be the Assistant Secretary for Cyberspace to lead 

22 the Department’s diplomatic cyberspace policy generally, 

23 including for cybersecurity, Internet access, Internet free24 dom, and to promote an open, secure, and reliable infor25 mation and communications technology infrastructure. 
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1 (b) ACTIVITIES.—In recognition of the added value 

2 of technical knowledge and expertise in the policymaking 

3 and diplomatic channels, the Secretary of State shall— 

4 (1) update existing training programs relevant 

5 to policy discussions; 

6 (2) promote the recruitment of candidates with 

7 technical expertise into the Civil Service and the 

8 Foreign Service; and 

9 (3) work to improve inter-agency coordination 

10 and cooperation on cybersecurity and Internet initia11 tives. 

12 (c) OFFSET.—To offset any costs incurred by the De13 partment of State to carry out the designation of an As14 sistant Secretary for Cyberspace in accordance with sub15 section (a), the Secretary of State shall eliminate such po16 sitions within the Department of State, unless otherwise 

17 authorized or required by law, as the Secretary determines 

18 to be necessary to fully offset such costs. 

19 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The redesignation of 

20 the Assistant Secretary position in the Department of 

21 State described in subsection (a) may not be construed 

22 as increasing the number of Assistant Secretary positions 

23 at the Department above the current level of 24 as author24 ized in section 1(c)(1) of the State Department Basic Au25 thorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)). 
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1 SEC. 7. USAID. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator 

3 of the United States Agency for International Develop4 ment should— 

5 (1) integrate efforts to expand Internet access, 

6 develop appropriate technologies, and enhance digital 

7 literacy into the education, development, and eco8 nomic growth programs of the agency, where appro9 priate; 

10 (2) expand the utilization of information and 

11 communications technologies in humanitarian aid 

12 and disaster relief responses and United States oper13 ations involving stabilization and security to improve 

14 donor coordination, reduce duplication and waste, 

15 capture and share lessons learned, and augment dis16 aster preparedness and risk mitigation strategies; 

17 and 

18 (3) establish and promote guidelines for the 

19 protection of personal information of individuals 

20 served by humanitarian, disaster, and development 

21 programs implemented directly through the United 

22 States Government, through contracts funded by the 

23 United States Government, and by international or24 ganizations. 
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1 SEC. 8. PEACE CORPS. 

2 Section 3 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502) 

3 is amended by— 

4 (1) redesignating subsection (h) as subsection 

5 (e); and 

6 (2) adding at the end the following new sub7 sections: 

8 ‘‘(f) It is the sense of Congress that access to tech9 nology can transform agriculture, community economic de10 velopment, education, environment, health, and youth de11 velopment which are the sectors in which Peace Corps cur12 rently develops positions for Volunteers. 

13 ‘‘(g) In giving attention to the programs, projects, 

14 training, and other activities referred to in subsection (f), 

15 the Peace Corps should develop positions for Volunteers 

16 that are focused on leveraging technology for development, 

17 education, and social and economic mobility.’’. 

18 SEC. 9. PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK. 

19 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact20 ment of this Act, the President shall transmit to the Com21 mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 

22 and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 

23 plans to promote partnerships by United States develop24 ment agencies, including the United States Agency for 

25 International Development and the Millennium Challenge 

26 Corporation, and international agencies funded by the 
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1 United States Government with the private sector and 

2 other stakeholders to expand affordable and gender equi3 table access to the Internet in developing countries, includ4 ing the following elements: 

5 (1) Methods for stakeholders to partner with 

6 such agencies in order to provide Internet access or 

7 Internet infrastructure in developing countries. 

8 (2) Methods of outreach to stakeholders to ex9 plore partnership opportunities for expanding Inter10 net access or Internet infrastructure, including co11 ordination with the private sector, when financing 

12 roads and telecommunications infrastructure. 

13 (3) Methods for early consultation with stake14 holders concerning projects in telecommunications 

15 and road construction to provide Internet access or 

16 Internet infrastructure. 

17 SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENT ON IMPLEMENTATION 

18 EFFORTS. 

19 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact20 ment of this Act, the President shall transmit to the Com21 mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 

22 and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 

23 a report on efforts to implement the policies specified in 

24 this Act and a discussion of the plans and existing efforts 
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1 by the United States Government in developing countries 

2 to accomplish the following: 

3 (1) Developing a technical and regulatory road 

4 map for promoting Internet access in developing 

5 countries and a path to implementing such road 

6 map. 

7 (2) Identifying the regulatory barriers that may 

8 unduly impede Internet access, including regulation 

9 of wireline broadband deployment or the infrastruc10 ture to augment wireless broadband deployment. 

11 (3) Strengthening and supporting development 

12 of regulations that incentivize market growth and 

13 sector development. 

14 (4) Encouraging further public and private in15 vestment in Internet infrastructure, including 

16 broadband networks and services. 

17 (5) Increasing gender-equitable Internet access 

18 and otherwise encourage or support Internet deploy19 ment, competition, and adoption. 

20 (6) Improving the affordability of Internet ac21 cess. 

22 (7) Promoting technology and cybersecurity ca23 pacity building efforts and consult technical experts 

24 for advice regarding options to accelerate the ad-
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1 vancement of Internet deployment, adoption, and 

2 usage. 

3 (8) Promoting Internet freedom globally and in4 clude civil society and the private sector in the for5 mulation of policies, projects, and advocacy efforts 

6 to protect human rights online. 

7 (9) Promoting and strengthening the multi8 stakeholder model of Internet governance and ac9 tively participate in multi-stakeholder international 

10 fora, such as the Internet Governance Forum. 

11 (10) Advancing a strategy to promote— 

12 (A) global cybersecurity policy consistent 

13 with the National Institute of Standards and 

14 Technology (NIST) Framework for Improving 

15 Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity; 

16 (B) global Internet freedom principles, 

17 such as the freedoms of expression, religion, as18 sembly, and association, while combating efforts 

19 to impose restrictions on such freedoms; and 

20 (C) improved inter-agency coordination 

21 and cooperation on cybersecurity and Internet 

22 initiatives. 

23 SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this Act: 
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1 (1) BROADBAND.—The term ‘‘broadband’’ 

2 means an Internet Protocol-based transmission serv3 ice that enables users to send and receive voice, 

4 video, data, graphics, or a combination thereof. 

5 (2) BROADBAND CONDUIT.—The term 

6 ‘‘broadband conduit’’ means a conduit for fiber optic 

7 cables that support broadband or wireless facilities 

8 for broadband service. 

9 (3) BUILD ONCE POLICIES AND APPROACHES.— 

10 The term ‘‘build once policies and approaches’’ 

11 means policies or practices that minimize the num12 ber and scale of excavation and construction activi13 ties when installing telecommunications infrastruc14 ture in rights-of-way. 

15 (4) CYBERSPACE.—The term ‘‘cyberspace’’ 

16 means the interdependent network of information 

17 technology infrastructures, and includes the Inter18 net, telecommunications networks, computer sys19 tems, and embedded processors and controllers in 

20 critical industries, and includes the virtual environ21 ment of information and interactions between peo22 ple. 

23 (5) STAKEHOLDERS.—The term ‘‘stakeholders’’ 

24 means the private sector, the public sector, coopera25 tives, civil society, the technical community that de-
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1 velops Internet technologies, standards, implementa2 tion, operations, and applications, and other groups 

3 that are working to increase Internet access or are 

4 impacted by the lack of Internet access in their com5 munities. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 24, 

2017. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 600 

AN ACT 

To promote Internet access in developing countries 

and for other purposes. and update foreign policy toward the Internet,